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Subpoenaed Missouri Activists Speak Out on FBI Surveillance
Subpoenaed Missouri Activists Speak Out on FBI Surveillance
FBI Prevented Young Activists From Protesting at Democratic Convention
St. Louis, August 30, 2004: On the opening day of the Republican
National Convention, three young political activists who were
subpoenaed as part of an investigation by the FBI≠s Joint Terrorism
Task Force in Kirksville, Missouri revealed their identities today,
saying that they can no longer remain silent as the FBI steps up its
efforts to spy on and interrogate other political protesters.
Chris Scheets, Ben Garrett and Daniel Coate were among the dozens of
political activists in the Midwest who were questioned and trailed by
the FBI in the weeks preceding the Democratic National Convention in
July. The three young men, who have no history of violent activity,
were subpoenaed to appear before a federal grand jury on July 29, which
prevented them from traveling to Boston to protest the convention as
they had planned.
"These young men were singled out by the Joint Terrorism Task Force
because of their involvement in political protest and social dissent,"
said Denise Lieberman, Legal Director of the American Civil Liberties
Union of Eastern Missouri, which is representing the men. "It is
unconscionable that the FBI is now using its law enforcement powers to
prevent Americans from exercising their right to protest the policies
of their government."
Scheets, who is 20, first realized he was under investigation when FBI
agents visited the home of his parents in Jacksonville, Illinois.
According to Scheets, the agents asked his parents about easily
accessible information such as his current address, as well as
information about his political affiliations. FBI agents also visited
or contacted the parents of Coate, 22, and Garrett, 24.
After speaking with their parents, FBI agents then visited Coate and
Scheets at their homes, as well as Garrett, who was already staying at
a friend≠s home in St. Louis in preparation for the trip to Boston.
When Coate and Scheets arrived in St. Louis the next day, the house was
under obvious surveillance. For the next four days, at least three
unmarked cars were parked in front of the house at any given time and
the three men, as well as the house≠s occupants and visitors, all
reported being trailed by FBI agents every time they ventured
outside.
"We felt trapped in St. Louis because of the FBI≠s obvious intimidation
tactics," said Scheets. "We were afraid to talk to anybody or do
anything because we didn't want the FBI to subject our friends and
family to the same kind of harassment that we were experiencing."
The men said the surveillance ended after they appeared before the
grand jury on July 29. However, neither the FBI nor the state Attorney
General, who issued the subpoenas, have indicated to the men or the
ACLU that the investigation has ended.
"The FBI's actions have had a chilling effect on free speech not only
on these young men but on everyone who has heard about these
incidents," said the ACLU's Lieberman. "It is one thing to arrest a
protester who engages in civil disobedience, but it is quite another to
stop or intimidate people from protesting in the first place."
Although the FBI's tactics have caused the men to question their
ability to continue being politically active, Scheets said that he will
still travel to New York to participate in protests at the Republican
National Convention.
"We strongly feel that what happened to us is another example of the
government using fear tactics to stifle political and social dissent,
which is totally unacceptable in a democratic society," Scheets said.
In a related story, the ACLU and the New York Civil Liberties Union
announced today they are representing Calyx Internet Access and
administrators of Indymedia.org in a Secret Service investigation
regarding the anonymous posting of publicly available information about
delegates to the Republican National Convention. The groups said the
investigation is but the latest example of government agencies using
law enforcement powers to chill free speech and intimidate protesters.
A statement from the three Missouri activists is attached. For more
information on the ACLU≠s work to protect protest rights, see
http://www.aclu.org/FreeSpeech/FreeSpeechlist.cfm?c=86.
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